How Much Fabric To Buy When You're Fabric Shopping

Stitching your own dress seems interesting, right? Going shopping, selecting fabric, and purchasing it, all of these seem simple. 

But how do you know how much fabric to buy?

Guessing the quantity is not an option, for this, you have to be specific. So here we are going to tell you exactly how much fabric you need for all your unique attires.

While taking measurements keep a few things in mind like

• Desired length and width of the garment,
• Measurement of your body, 
• Personal preference, and
• Your style

Always remember to purchase some extra fabric rather than purchasing the exact amount. Wondering extra margin for what?

It will help you to put some extra room for any error. If left with some fabric, you can convert it into matching accessories. 

Now moving on to know the required quantity for some popular garment silhouettes

PALAZZO

Palazzo is one of the best options to be worn in summer, as they are light, loose, and when combined with a breathable fabric like cotton, it becomes even better. With heavyweight or thick fabrics, they can be suitable for winters as well.

You can pair your palazzo with a long kurta, or if you want to give yourself a formal look, you can wear a shirt tucked in your palazzo. 

The fabric you will be needing for making a palazzo is 2.25 - 2.75 meters for Small to Medium size and 2.50 - 3.50 meters for Large to Extra large.  

FLARED SKIRT 

Flared skirt is just like an A-Line skirt, it only has a lot more flares. Looking at the present trends, flared skirts are the most sophisticated outfit you can wear at any event. The flare becomes even more beautiful with a flowy fabric like chiffon or georgette.

You can wear skirts with various combinations like dressing them with tank tops and shoes to give a sporty look or with a shirt to give a formal look. 

The fabric required for making a flared skirt for a person having a height of 5.5 feet is 4 ½ - 5 meters for a full flared skirt and 3 ½ - 4 meters for a less flared skirt. 

A-LINE DRESS  

An A-line dress is a triangular silhouette, that is, narrow from the top, broad from the waist, and straight-line to hem. 

These dresses are so comfy and evergreen that you can wear them in your everyday life. They can be made into a perfect evening dress with premium fabrics like satin, silk or velvet or a perfect attire for brunch with cotton or viscose fabrics.

The measurement for the fabric that you will be needing can be taken by measuring twice the width for front and back and with that add 0.25 meters for some extra allowance. 

Preciously, for a person with a height of 5.3 - 5.5 feet, you will be required with a fabric of 2.5 approximately and for a person with a height of 5.6 - 6 feet, you will be required with a fabric of 3.25 meters approximately. 

CIGARETTE PANTS

Due to their narrow-like shape, these cigarette pants are also known as slim-fit pants. The way it looks, it is so slick! 

You can wear them on any occasion you want. You can opt for these pants with a high waist and flowy tops or even with a kurta.

Tip: To add more grip to the pants you can add a rubber band to the hem or even use a hot-glue gun to it.  

The fabric required for cigarette pants will be 2 meters of 59 inch (150 cm) wide fabric for sizes 8 to 12. For sizes from 14 to 18, you will need fabric 2.5 meters of 59 inch wide fabric. 

SHIRTS

Formal shirts are one of the most important outfits for a man and woman. Isn’t it? They play a significant role from wearing it to interviews to weddings. A plain cotton or plain crepe shirt will be ideal as workwear while a plain satin shirt paired with lehenga can give a perfect indo-western look for a wedding.

Most females wear it to their work paired with cigarette pants, pencil skirts or with a palazzo.

If you have 36-inch wide fabric, you will need 2.40- 2.80 meters and if you have a 58-inch wide fabric you can make the shirt with 1.60 - 2.0 meters fabric.

SAREE BLOUSE

A saree blouse is a short-fitted outfit worn under a saree. Blouses can be designed depending upon the preference, like, you can add long sleeves or add a collar to it. 

The measurement depends on the length of the blouse and its sleeves you want . For a normal blouse, 80 cm is good enough for approximately 36 chest measurements. For above 36 chest measurements 1-meter fabric is enough. 

If you need to design a Choli blouse with ¾ th sleeve length, then 2– 2.25 meters of fabric would be sufficient. The occasion, styling & fabric for blouse - all matter equally in deciding the required length.

Well at the beginning of sewing any design the basic question of fabric quantity is must and has to be answered properly. 

So, here are some tips and tricks that will help you in finding the perfect measurement for your outfit while you already know where to look for the latest fabrics online.

We also happen to be a magnet for suggestions, and would love to catch yours….throw us yours on hello@fabriclore.com